VENEREAL DISEASES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10120, 30 October 1917, Page 6

VENEREAL DISEASES.

OVER 15,500 GASES JN NEW ZEALAND IN TWO YEARS. Interesting figures as to the prevalence of venereal diseases in New Zealand were, quoted by the Hon. Colonel W. E. Collins in the Legislative Council on Friday afternoon- during; a discussion on the .Social Hygiene .Rill. He made a strong plea for compulsory notification. A committee of doctors had been set up to report on tire disease at the last conference in Auckland. Returns furnished by 300 doctors out ol the 600 in New Zealand showed that in two years 1288 eases of primary syphilis had been attended and 443 cases of secondary syphilis, and, with other cases, a total of 141 cases of syphilis had boon attended in two years. As only half of the doctors had attended the. eases quoted, it could be said that 11883 eases of syphilis had boon treated ‘in two yents. Gonorrhea was four times more prevalent than syphilis, .so it could bo. said that 15,524 cases of venereal diseases had occurred in New Zealand in two years. 'This, thought Colonel Collins, was a. low estimate. Then,> again, those figures would ho greatly increased by war lime. This demonstrated Hie great necessity for dealing effectively with Hie. disease. ’Doctors did not know, however,' where they were as to the number of cases. This was because, there was no notification. Colonel Collins also quoted figures from the medical examination by the special hoards of balloted men. Dp till Juno, 1917, out of 40,773 men examined thord were 550 cases of venereal diseases. During twelve months at the ’Wellington Hospital 70 venereal eases had been treated, and 36 in the outpatients’. department. The latter total was incomplqio.